Consumption of and reliance upon electrical energy is ubiquitous in almost every aspect of life. Businesses, entertainment, communications, etc. are heavily dependent upon electrical energy for fundamental operation. More recently, use of electrical energy in transportation applications has increased and is expected to increase further. For example, some types of electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles use rechargeable batteries for power. Rechargeable batteries are also used with many other electrical devices apart from transportation devices (e.g., laptop computers, portable media devices, etc.). This expected increased usage of electrical energy for transportation and other applications using rechargeable batteries as well as increased usage in traditional applications may result in increased demands upon electrical power distribution infrastructure.
Power distribution systems or grids provide electrical energy to households, businesses, manufacturing facilities, hospitals, etc. Some electrical power distribution systems are ever-changing dynamic systems and operations are often concerned with balancing generation with load. Typically, control of the state of the electrical power distribution system is implemented by controlling operations of generators coupled with the system. For example, at times of increased demand, the output of generators may be increased and/or other generators may be brought on-line to assist with supplying the electrical energy. In addition, spinning reserves may be utilized to accommodate unexpected significant fluctuations in demand for electrical energy.